When working in a file, a reference can be created and stored within the file. In one example, pilots can create references in files related to upcoming travel assignments. When circumstances change, such as the weather, the pilot can receive new versions of the files. However, the references in the prior version of the file are stored within the file. When a pilot receives a new version of the file from a computing environment, the new version of the file omits any references added in the earlier version that is locally stored in a client device of the pilot.
Another user can modify text in the file that corresponds to a reference created by the pilot. Because the reference is stored on a client device of the pilot within the file, the other user is unaware that the pilot created a reference for the text being modified. The pilot can receive an updated version of the file omitting text corresponding to a reference the pilot generated the earlier version of the file.